Better than a Business Major
Unbeknownst to some, Vanderbilt does not have “profession” majors. There is no majoring in medicine, law or business. Rather, Vanderbilt forces you to have to major in something else so that you broaden your horizons instead of fixating yourself into only one profession.
I’ve talked plenty about “being pre-med” before so, I’m moving onto a new topic: Business. You probably didn’t know but I have some knowledge regarding this part of the academic curriculum. Since Freshman year, I’ve been working as an office worker at the front desk for the Managerial Studies department and I’ve picked up on a lot of things around this neck of the woods.
Most people don’t know it before they come to Vanderbilt, but Managerial Studies is the closest to the “business major” at Vanderbilt. But, the catch is that its not a major. You can only minor in Managerial Studies. Tricky Vanderbilt. How it works is that you choose to minor in one of the three options: Corporate Strategy, Financial Economics or Leadership and Organization.
The Managerial Studies website does a great job of giving a brief description of each of these minors.
The Corporate Strategy minor exposes students to the methods that businesses use to create a competitive advantage. The Financial Economics minor provides students with an in-depth understanding of financial markets, corporate finance, personal wealth management and the government’s role in markets. The Leadership and Organization minor provides students with insights into how to be an effective, successful leader in today’s environment.
You can go individually into each of the minors and see details regarding what classes you need to take and such. As the requirement is only 18 hours and the classes themselves teach applicable skills such as finance, management, and leadership, it is a great major that you can pick up if you have the time for it in your schedule.
I know a lot of the professors since I work in the department where their offices are located and I have found them all to be very friendly and helpful to their students. They are always an abundant number of Teaching Assistants so help will always be given to those who ask of it. So, if you’re thinking about going into the field of business in the future, you should check out Managerial Studies as they will surely help you on your way there.
Also, if you decide to go declare a minor with Managerial Studies, you’ll be greeted by my radiant face. Find us in Calhoun 215!